Shadows on the Wall
by LadyHammer
Summary: Something happens, and X and Axl are devastated. Will they pull through it together, forming a new friendship? [Umm... maybe shounen-ai later... dunno, tho...]
1. Shadows of X p1

Hey, it's me, LadyHammer! This is a for X and Axl, in hopes that I can stop hating Axl so much. I think he's growing on me, I really do! Heh, anyway... the plot will tell itself in this chapter, and I hope you guys RxR! **Disclaimer: I don't own X, Zero, or Axl. Or anything else that Capcom does. But that mean ol' reploid down there in the flashback? Yeah, I own him xD I made him up. RAWR!  
**Anyway... onward!

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**Shadows on the Wall**

_Shadows of X p.1

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Who knew? Really now… who knew?

I didn't…

So it wasn't my fault……

Right?

I felt a heavy sigh coming on. I didn't know… what I do know is that… he wouldn't want me to blame myself, whether I knew or not. And, I'd try my best not to… nothing would get a hold of me and turn me into something he didn't want…

But… then the sigh came on. It crushed me, with such force I wasn't sure I could keep everything in me. The sigh was shaky and brought the mourning right out of me. I leaned over the rails of the balcony, letting it out. Everything that had built up over the past hours…

Zero…

_I stood behind Zero, and Axl behind me, as we cautiously approached the warehouse. Signas had told us that this was the beginning of something, and he knew it. He didn't want another war to break loose, and he didn't want more mavericks attacking. The signal had arrived very, very early that morning, and before we knew it, the three of us had been summoned to the bridge by Alia. The signal was from an unknown irregular, Signas had told us. Zero, Axl and I had no problem going to take care of the problem. Things were just getting easier and easier these days._

_Never, **ever** will I think that again…_

_We approached the warehouse. I knew I should have listened to the feeling I got upon arrival. It was just such an obvious warning…_

_We went inside. There was nothing to keep us from going in, so we figured it was less work. I knew Axl suspected something, too. He was starting to catch on quick these days. Zero had to have sensed something… he just **had** to have…_

_Right as we walked in, there was a loud crash from down a hallway. This was a strange warehouse, it definitely wasn't of the norm. Almost like a small base of some kind. Well, loud crash considered, Zero led us down the hallway fearlessly. I had grown extremely tense by now, and Axl was getting hesitant with his steps._

"_Zero… maybe we should go slower…" he said cautiously. Zero looked back at him and shook his head._

"_Come on, Axl, this is nothing… let's go. Are you scared?" he asked, tilting his head ever so slightly. Another crash echoed down the hallway._

"_Let's just go, Zero… something's down there…" I replied, gently pushing him to go on. He shrugged, and continued leading us down the narrow hallway._

_Suddenly, the place shook. We could see a metal doorway at the end of the hallway, and through it we saw a helpless reploid tossed mercilessly to the other side of the room by something… something… malicious. Blood sprayed all over the walls, and I'll never forget that blood curdling scream raging in our senses._

_Zero clutched onto his saber and rushed down the hallway before Axl and I could stop him, so we followed, hoping to pull him back. We knew something was wrong, and I'm sure Zero knew it too, but he was stubborn… he wasn't going to back away because of a mere sense._

_Inside, a malevolent looking reploid stood fierce with huge, bloodstained claws and fangs, haunching over, large spikes growing from it's back. It's dark scarlet armor glinted the huge of the blood it had shed, and right away, two bulky metal tentacles emerged from it's sides. One grabbed onto me, and the other onto Axl, crushing us tightly with it's extreme force. Axl screamed, writhing in pain, trying to get free, while my eyes were set on the scene ahead of me._

_Zero roared while dashing forward, thrusting his saber into the strange maverick with amazing force. Then, the opening the saber had made grew larger, and another claw lashed out, piercing right through Zero's body._

_I screamed right beside Axl, trying relentlessly to get free with no luck. Zero stumbled back, and before he could fall, the maverick's large claws came swooping down on him, ripping him completely from his lower half._

"_ZERO!" I cried out, only to have the grip on me tightened. The maverick picked the already far from conscious Zero up from the ground and held him in his large claws, staring down at him with malice. The only sounds besides the maverick's malevolent breathing were the sounds of the Crimson Hunter's blood slowly dripping onto the warehouse floor. Zero didn't move, didn't speak, didn't open his eyes, or show the slightest signs of life. Axl and I were thrown against the back wall, and the maverick activated his thrusters and rocketed away into the dawning sky with our Hunter, dead in the enemy's hands. He was gone. Gone…_

… Gone…

I should have done something… and then, tears slipped out of my verdant eyes and into the soft grass down below the balcony. He was going to come back… right? It'd be like all of those other times… when we'd be in trouble, at the moment we were sure to die, Zero would come in, being the hero to save us, miraculously alive.

He would come back…

Right?

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Okay, now, dun get me wrong, I love Zero to pieces, but... I wanted to do something to kind of go on about X and Axl, y'know? Kinda together like... and this just really seemed like something that they could bond with each other over... but yeah... I don't know if I'm gonna put shounen-ai in this or not. I have a hard time NOT doing that, and I don't know how people will take to an X/Axl coupling, anyway... hehe... but, as for now, I'll just let what happens happen! ;


	2. Shadows of Axl p1

Hehe, I'm baaack! Sorry if this is so depressing... it's supposed ta be that way for things to develop 'em the way I want 'em to... anyway... I hope you're all liking this! lol Anyway, onward we go to Axl's recollection of thoughts! Look at me, I'm sick! Here I am smiling and this is sad as hell... anyway, to answer some stuff:

a) this is TOTALLY not the end of this fic! lol. Lots more to go!

b) Axl's got a part in this since he experienced the sadness too, so he has to cope with stuff. This chapter is basically a retelling of chapter 1 from _his_ eyes.

c) Iono why I just really didn't like Axl. I guess it was 'cause he was annoying and he got in the way of the X/Zero pairing I was so devoted to. lol. But iono, I fell in love with his Japanese voice in X8. I absolutely adore it, and I think 'cause of that factor and that I've been reading some _really_ good fanfiction here, he's growin' on meh. NEway...

ON WIT DAH FICCY!

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**Shadows on the Wall**

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_Shadows of Axl p.1

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Why… why now? That wasn't supposed to happen… I should have stopped it… I had a feeling it was going to happen…

I did…

So it was my fault……

It was……

I was in my quarters, lying on my bed, refusing to accept what had happened. I was going to hold my head up high. Zero was my hero… and he'd come back, just like he always does. He had a thing for coming back with miraculous survivals.

But… then… I sighed… and everything came out of me… I was crying! No! I couldn't cry! I was crying, and the hot tears spilled out like they never had before. Where was Zero?

Zero…! Come back…

_I was with X and Zero, and we were going into this warehouse that Signas told us to go in. Alia hadn't said a whole lot about it, and I think she had the feeling that it just wasn't a good idea. But, Zero, stubborn as ever, prodded us to go on and do it with a good attitude. So, we did. _

_If only I could have persuaded him otherwise…_

_We got in the warehouse. I was spooked as soon as we went in… I know it wasn't going to be a good thing to do this… but, not wanting to lose my pride in front of Zero, I followed behind him and X._

_There was no one guarding the warehouse. A second obvious sign…_

_Right when I walked in with them, I jumped back hearing a loud crash roar down the hallways. This was a weird warehouse, looking as if to hide something… I didn't want to know what, and I wanted to leave…!_

"_Zero… maybe we should go slower…" I said meekly, looking around with uneasiness. Zero looked back at me with a simple headshake._

"_Come on, Axl, this is nothing… let's go. Are you scared?" he asked, tilting his head ever so slightly. I jumped back hearing another loud, thundering crash._

"_Let's just go, Zero… something's down there…" X said, gently pushing him to go on. He shrugged with his arrogant nature, and continued walking down the hallway, me and X following him._

_The place started shaking, as if there were an earthquake or something! I nearly toppled over, but regained my posture and tried to see over X's shoulder, since him and Zero seemed to be staring at something with horrific awe. Then, a blood curdling scream told me the answer._

_Unsheathing his saber, Zero dashed fiercely down the hallway before X and I could do anything about it. What was he doing? Did he know what he was getting himself into? And why wasn't Alia saying anything to us? I was scared, and I hated to admit it, but my kiddish nature had sparked a fear spilling ice-cold senses all over._

_When we got inside the room, I think I saw the scariest, most evil looking maverick I had ever set eyes on. Reploid blood was dripping from it's fangs and enormous, sharp claws. It's armor was the color of the blood he had shed from another reploid, which was all over him, and staining the whole room. Then, these huge metal tentacles came out of his sides, and just grabbed onto me, squeezing the life out of me. I could tell one had wrapped around X, too, because I could hear him trying to escape next to my pitiful screams of pain._

_Zero furiously roared and dashed forward, striking the maverick right in the gut with his saber. As I opened my eyes, I screamed again, but not out of pain. Right as my eyes opened, a large claw had been struck right through Zero's body._

_I closed my eyes tightly, not wanting to see anymore. I could hear the loud crunches and scrape of metal against metal as Zero's body was torn apart by the maverick's huge claws, and I felt myself getting dizzy. Stop… please, just stop this, and let's go! Zero, just back down from the fight… please…_

_All seemed to eventually fall silent. I could hear heavy, satisfied breaths from the maverick, and the soft drip of Zero's blood… falling onto the ground. Not a single word, plea for mercy, cry or pain, or anything came from him. I could feel the tears weld up in my eyes. I wanted to break free and shoot that stupid maverick dead and carry Zero back to the base where he'd be just fine… In the middle of my hopes, X and I were thrown brutally into the wall. When I finally opened my eyes, the only thing I saw was a still, shocked X beside me, and the blood soaked across the walls and floor of the room._

… Gone… Zero was gone… my... my _idol_…!

I should have done something! I knew it would happen! I _knew_ it, and no one can stop me from blaming myself! I could have done something...why didn't I do something, why didn't Imake a damn statement and try harderto tell him to stop and _leave_? I could just feel that this misson was out of our leage... we'd need reinforcements...And then, my body shook violently with sobs that I couldn't hold back. I was making little kid noises as the cries left my mouth. Zero had to come back… he always did…

He would come back…

Right?

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Please tell me what you think so far and if you have any suggestions, or corrections, or anything like that, please lemme know! I'd be glad to hear 'em! 


	3. Shadows in Disguise p1

Is it just me, or do I change the format of this thing all too much? That's okay, I guess I'm gettin' it somehow... well... anyway... on with this thing... I think I can finally cook up a plot for this. Before, it was just a thing to blow off some steam, and maybe focus some real emotion on... but now, hey, it's developing into something. Yaaay for me! Well... onward! And thanks a bunch for your reviews, guys!

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**Shadows on the Wall**

_Shadows in Disguise p1_

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X was on the balcony, staring down, not really having much to say to himself anymore. It was hard enough coming back without Zero, and hearing the shock from the rest of the Hunter Base. Hard enough without the Crimson One's shouts of victory, and so forth… hard enough. Keeping himself from beating himself up about it was something that was nearly impossible, but he was trying. Something told him that this was the time that Zero wasn't coming back.

_What are you saying, X? Don't think like that!_

He sighed a shuddering, sobbing sigh, wiping the messy tears from his face and looking into the garden underneath the moonless night outside the Base. He figured he should check up on Axl. Poor kid was probably hysterical by now.

He stood up straight, taking one last look out to the landscape below him, then walked back inside. It was hard enough keeping the scenes from replaying in his mind…

Axl's room wasn't far from his own, but he didn't want to take the chance of running into one of the other Base members on his way there. He couldn't bear the thought of seeing Alia. She held the three of them very close to her, and X didn't think he could stop himself from crying again if he saw her. He decided he'd take the long way, up the stairs, to get to Axl's room.

There wasn't much to cheer him up. He considered trying to cheer himself up as a selfish act right now. Tearing himself apart for Zero was not something he could pry himself away from. When you've been best friends with someone for nearly 300 years… you don't take it lightly. As he walked up a single flight, he was surprised to not hear anything from Axl, who's room was through the next few doors. He hoped that the young Hunter was okay.

He approached Axl's door, hesitant to knock. X leaned on the door to listen for any signs of him at all, and heard a faint sobbing from inside. Finally, he decided to come in. He typed in the passcode to Axl's door, knowing it would be locked. The door slid open slowly, and X walked in the dark room.

"Axl?"

The young Hunter looked up with his mouth partially open in mid-sob, sitting on his small bed. Fresh tears streamed down his face. The two stared at each other for a moment, each exchanging looks of sympathy and sorrow, and finally, Axl let out a cry. He buried his head into his pillow, trying to muffle his hysteric sobs and cries as X approached him.

"X! He's gone!" he screamed into the pillow. "HE'S GONE!"

X sat down on the bed with him and wrapped his arm around his shoulder. Him and Axl had never been very close. Well, at least not as close as him and Zero had been. Axl didn't bother to shrug him off.

"Shh, it's okay, Axl… he'll come back…"

Axl turned around, lowering his pillow, and looked up into X's emerald eyes in disbelief.

"How can you say that? YOU SAW HIM! YOU SAW WHAT HAPPENED!" he shouted hysterically, biting his lip to stifle a cry. The tears started leaving X's eyes, too.

"Don't lose your faith in him, Axl. He'll come back… don't doubt him… please… don't doubt him… he'll come back, like he always does…" he murmured, wiping his tears away. Axl sighed, trying to wipe his tears away as well, and then looked back into X's eyes.

"Have you ever thought about… what if he doesn't come back?" he asked with a post-sob hiccup. X leaned his head on Axl's shoulder, sighing heavily and closing his eyes.

"Don't think about it… pray, Axl. Don't lose hope…"

"We need to find him, X! We've got to find him… we… we can help Alia scan the area-"

"Axl, it's beyond our reach. There's no direction for us to go. We didn't get the mark on that maverick, we didn't get any clues as to where he went, where he came from, why he was there, what his motives were, who he was, or anything… the only thing we can do is hope Zero will come back to us…" X answered. Axl cried out in shock.

"X! You're telling _me_ not to give up and lose hope! You're the one who's giving up!" he shouted. "Z-Zero… you saw him… how he was… was…"

Axl's new flood of tears cut him off, and his body wracked with violent sobs once more. X held him tightly, fighting back his own tears.

"Don't worry, Axl. Please, don't worry…" he said, trying to hold his voice steady. Axl whimpered.

"I want him to come back, X…"

"So do I…"

"I… I'm going to… avenge…"

X opened his eyes, a bit shocked with what Axl had started to say. He looked into Axl's teary eyes with a soft look of sympathy.

"Axl, we don't know if he's dead… we don't know if-"

"COME ON, X! You _saw_ him! I know you did! You were there! I'm not going to let anyone get away with what they've done!" Axl screamed, grasping onto his pillow, looking as if ready to rip it apart. He hung his head low in shame. "I don't care how bad it may be… but I know that you can't tell me, X, that you don't want to do the same thing.."

X did. He wanted so bad to rip that maverick apart with his bare hands, to tear it limb from limb, and disassemble it until it were just a pile of broken, worthless parts, and then rip _them_ apart until he was finally satisfied. He wanted the blood to drip from the lifeless maverick just as Zero's had done. Malice wasn't in X, but now… the very thought of it heated his blood, and he flooded with fury. But he drew in a sharp breath and shook his head.

"Axl… let's… not act like this…"

"X GET OVER YOUR DAMN PACIFIST WAYS! YOUR BEST FRIEND IS-"

"He's alive, Axl! He's alive and he's coming back!"

X buried his face in Axl's shoulder, silent cries emitting from his sorrowed self. He'd hold true to himself and Zero, no matter what.

Axl looked out of his window, his tears stopping their fall down his dampened cheeks. He was in a silent contemplation as the dark backdrop covered the scene, stars invading the wisps of thought.

"What would Zero want us to do, X?" he asked, looking guilty. X was ashamed to say it, but he wasn't sure, anymore. Zero was so complex. One minute he'd be preaching to trust yourself and what you are, to never let yourself down, and the next minute he'd be telling you to never let someone get away with the harm that they've caused, no matter what.

"… What do _we_ want to do, Axl?" X asked, now focusing on the starry night backdrop as well. Axl narrowed his eyes.

"Revenge."

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Dum dum dummm... o.o; Well. Now I just gotta figure out where to go after this. Heh. Well, please review and tell me what you think! It means mucho to me:D And gives me the drive to keep on writing stuff!


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